Living Treasure passes

By Nicole Williams
SPRINGVALE stalwart and Greater Dandenong Living Treasure, John Beus passed away unexpectedly on Sunday.
Born in Holland, he moved to Springvale in 1950 and devoted his life to the community.
As well as working as a window designer for David Jones, Mr Beus was a founding member of the St Vincent de Paul in Springvale and the Springvale Benevolent Society, where he continued to be involved until his passing.
He also helped establish the Forsythe Home to help boys under public guardianship settle back into the community and the Migrant Resource Centre to provide training and employment for migrant women.
Mr Beus spent 12 years on the bench of the Springvale Magistrate’s Court and was a Justice of the Peace for over 30 years.
Good friend and Springvale Benevolent Society President, Joe Rechichi said Mr Beus was dedicated to the community.
“Community was his life,” Mr Rechichi said.
“He was always saying we need good people, we need good people to help the community.”
Mr Rechichi said Mr Beus was always thinking of the less fortunate and would always follow up with families to make sure assistance didn’t stop.
He was awarded for his countless community contributions and received Senior Citizen of the Year award, City of Springvale award, a Paul Harris Fellowship from the Noble Park Rotary Club in 1999, an Order of Australia Medal in 2000, was named a Greater Dandenong’s Living Treasure in 2005 and in March this year was awarded the first Wes Eggleston Community Award.
Greater Dandenong councillor Yvonne Herring, who worked with Mr Beus as a member of the Springvale Benevolent Society, said he would be missed in the community.
“He was very community oriented and everyone he called on will certainly miss him,” she said.
“He was the type of man that everybody loved and a great asset for our community.”
Mr Beus was living at the Lexington Gardens Aged Care facility, had four children and ‘countless’ grandchildren.